It was almost as if it had been rehearsed. The calls that rang through the air barely had time to fade before Taika’s ears twitched to receive the approach of the two mountain wolves. Habit made her eyes narrow suspiciously at Pandora and the stranger, but respect for the other woman’s bond to Tithe made her step away from the entrance to the den. She did not know the depths of the feelings Pandora and Tithe shared. All she could compare it to was her own Imprinting and the confusion her friend continued to feel in the presence of the other female. It was something that was more than a mystery to Taika. But Pandora had answered. That was almost good enough for the gypsy woman. Her attention shifted to the younger woman who had come with Pandora. Her call had been for anyone and she had to trust Pandora would bring someone to help. It was a small comfort when Sila introduced herself as Pandora’s sister. She lowered herself to the ground, watching carefully. Taika was no fighter, the wounds on her lips from the attack on her pups made that clear. For her friends and family though, she would give her life.

Tithe knew she was coming. It was the familiar tug at his being, the unconscious excitement that her nearness brought to him. He let out a low, inaudible groan crackled his throat as he selfishly clung to the flicker of happiness Pandora’s approach brought to him. You have no leader, no queen - you create the secrets of your home now. While he ignored Taika’s worried hovering he muddled over these words. He was not the creator of his deeper secrets. The ones he had thought were irrelevant. He had wished these would never have come to play in his life again. Now they were howling at his door.

A shiver caused Tithe’s large frame to tremble when Sila spoke. He recognized the name and the scent from Spirane. Shame continued to darken his mind, the echoes and taunts still clear in his consciousness. It was not until Pandora’s voice broke through it all that he was able to move enough to look out of the mouth of the den. His gaze fell on the golden pelt of Pandora and his stomach turned in shame. Her tone summoned him, more than encouraged. There was an unworded command that he could not help but obey. He would not deny her.

Getting to his feet he stepped out of the small den and glanced between the three women. He tried to turn his head toward Taika and winced in the pain of his neck and the base of his skull. Righting his head, he closed his eyes. Even that movement stretched the scabs that had been starting to form on his face. He breathed out of his nose, his head drooping in shame. He had failed. He did not know what he had failed, but he had.

I am sorry. He said softly. Your affection is your weakness. He could imagine them saying. Both of them. Fighting the pain he shook his head against the words. They had no place in him. But they clung to his consciousness. He opened his eyes again and moved them to look at each of the wolves in turn. They were here. Taika knew where he came from. Pandora had never truly made a judgement against him and continued to come to his side though he could feel the pain it caused her. And though a near stranger, Sila seemed eager to help no matter the cause. They brought something else, something back, to him. Where Daenerys’ actions had betrayed her friendship and history of affection for him, these three seemed to uphold it no matter the amount, great or small.

His lips twitched in a shadow of a smile. A smile that would barely have crossed his face even before the battle. His tail beat once on the ground. Perhaps it was affection, no matter its form, that was actually his strength.

Subtle signs played across Tithe’s face. The pain, the shame, the small hope that he was not completely lost were observed closely by Taika’s cracked eyes. She saw the twitch of his lips, the small wag of his tail. Her own hope blossomed in her heart. She jumped to her feet and danced around them, eager to continued this progress and to make him possibly smile even more. Grinning, she trotted to his uninjured side and nudged him gently in the shoulder, her own tail starting to go wild.